In my opinion painting the brick will devalue the house. I think some landscaping would help. The bush on the left is too large for the area and the tree on the right also looks a bit large. I hope others will chime in and give you some landscaping ideas but most importantly I feel you house is gorgeous with the brick as is.

There is ugly exterior brick and I am all for painting it — but your brick seems crisp and classic - can you talk more about what you are trying to achieve with the home?

if it were me, I’d experiment with the shutters, they seem heavy - I wonder about a different color or style? i’d remove or trim the tree on the right to let that big window shine

IMO painting brick instantly devalues your home and honestly your brick is the best part of the home .I would remove the shutters and I do not like white with brick .I would do a nice charcoal or soft grayed green for trim and posts This is one of my faves with brick

Am in agreement with the other posters who are advising you to remove the shutters even if the brick isn't painted.

Love the brick! Agree with no shutters.

The brick is great. If you want a change, paint your shutters. A blue will brighten up the brick a bit. Navy is classic, but you could do white, too.

Another DO NOT paint brick and I will say ever. #1 devalue, #2 add maintenance, #3 it just looks too unnatural.

My sister and my son have both bought houses with this brick, and both mentioned it as one of their reasons for buying. It is a beautiful material. Neither would have bought a painted brick house.

Both because of the look, and concerns about maintenance. I believe it is possible to do it so that maintenance is less of a concern, but when you buy you don't know if it was done properly. My sister previously had a stucco house and was not happy with the maintenance required, so wouldn't have wanted anything painted.

While I agree that you don't need to paint your brick, if you are set on painting the brick - do NOT use regular exterior paint. You need to use one of Romabio's brick finishing products (there may be other similar products - but Romabio is the only brand that I know).

Their products allow the brick to "breathe" (brick is a made from clay, sand, lime, and/or other mineral based materials. Romabio's paints are also made from mineral based materials = it allows the brick to breathe, and the natural ingredients calcify to the brick = long lasting). It has a 20 year warranty.

This is Romabio's Masonry Flat paint (some of their products can be custom tinted = any color that you want):

Here is a before/after that was posted by a customer on a Facebook design group:

Romabio's Classico Lime Wash:

Romabio's Classico Limewash can be used to create a pretty solid looking surface -

It also can leave as much of the brick peeking through as you want:

You also are able to apply their products - and are able to wash it off if you don't like the results (within a certain # of hours - I'm not sure exactly how long - but I do remember being surprised about the time you had to remove it).

Romabio also has different textured paints available. For brick surfaces, they have the flat as shown above + Masonry Textured + Lime Wash (also as shown above). They also have a Lime Slurry - which provides a European look (it's a slaked lime/dolomite covering - it hardens like a plaster + can be used on the exterior or interior of your home).

Beautiful house and plenty of good comments.

I get the concept of the two pots at the sidewalk but I would move these to the porch, probably on each side of the front door...pots are unnecessary in their current location, they stop the eye.

The understory of the two trees in front could be thinned out a bit to show more of the house.

I think the brick is nice, but paint it if you want. And you don’t have to use the pricey Romabio, it’s a bunch of marketing. As long as you use masonry paint and prep correctly, the paint will adhere beautifully and last a long time.

You don't put acrylic exterior paint on the brick unless you want to ruin the brick and have the paint peel. You have to use Limewash or Masonry Paint that 'stains' the brick so that it doesn't peel.

Here's another option if you want to give up the white windows.

Thank you all for your ideas. However, I had a color specialist out. I am a color so I see tones and my house is a classic 1950 house. I am painting it Balboa gray.

I had a color specialist out and you’re all your ideas were not recommended. I’m sticking with my soft white and some contrast or classic and timeless. As we all know, there’s no right or wrong. It’s just a personal preference. I am a hair colorist I see color tones. My choice was highly recommended by a paint color specialist. She said I had the right eye. Not looking to make my house darker green with the front porch and a house that is not as modern and has a honestly a ugly façade. Thank you to everyone for your comments. Sticking with Balboa mist.

Nancy H - I don't have an active license but I did have a cosmetology license and worked in a salon for a few years. It wasn't my final career, but I know the training you went through and how much more you learned after getting out of school and actually working in a salon.

I still love color often provide color consulting services to people who need help selecting interior and exterior home colors. I still apply many of the things I learned from my days doing hair color and makeup. It helped me in detecting and understanding the undertones in neutrals. Skin tones are all neutral, but some are olive toned and some are ivory and some have more pink undertones.

Unlike cosmetology, there is no licensing requirement for people who do color consulting for homes. Anyone can call themselves a color consultant or color specialist.

You were looking for validation of your color selection and you found someone to agree with you. How often have you seen the results when someone wanted their hair bleached blond and found the hairstylist who would do it even though the hair was not strong enough to be bleached and they ended up with hair that broke off and turned to straw? Finding the one that agreed to bleach their hair may not have been as smart as listening to the dozen that said that bleaching was a bad idea.

You got some very sound advice on this post regarding painting brick. I would not have purchased my current home had the owners painted the brick. I wanted a home that would not require a lot of maintenance. When it is time to sell, you will have a much smaller pool of buyers who are okay with painted brick.

Did this so called color specialist advise you on the type of paint that you should use. I am great with color and know my interior product lines pretty well, but I do far less exterior consulting and will always refer people to someone with more experience with painting brick if they want to paint their brick. I don't have enough experience to know I am providing adequate advice on the products, but I do know that most of the designers who have licenses and training and experience recommend using Romabio or particular masonry paints. Some also recommend lime washing to lighten brick without fully coating the brick.

As far as the color you selected, be mindful of the pink/violet undertones in Balboa Mist.

Over dark red brick they may be even more prominent. You probably don't want a pink house.

Maybe some of the members here who have worked with Romabio could chime in.

Undertones in neutrals show up much more vividly when you are in natural daylight - just like women's hair may look good in the salon or in their home, but when they go outside you see the burgundy tints turn purple or ash blonds turn olive green.

Whatever color you select you want to use large samples. For siding I will paint a 1/2 sheet of drywall to test the colors and move it from one side of the house to another and look at it several times during the day as it will look different under morning light than afternoon light or nearer sunset.

Whites and off whites also appear much whiter in exterior applications like siding and trim.

When I wanted to paint the trim on my last home I went in search of a home that had the same color stucco and had a white trim that I liked with the color, knocked on the door and asked what color they used. You may want to drive around and see if you can find a brick that was painted that you find attractive - not to stark.

I may move toward White Duck as exterior white that will be softer, creamier whites - not too stark and has a slight green undertone

I like many of Kylie M Interior color reviews. This is a list of Off White Neutrals that you may want to explore. Again, painting over red brick green undertones will neutralize the red, pink undertones may be enhanced. https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-off-white-neutral-paint-colours-undertones-and-more/

The brick is beautiful -- I wouldn't paint it.

What needs fixing is the harsh white lower area -- re-paint those non-brick areas and window trim in a color that coordinates with the brick and there's the makeover you're looking for.

FWIW, I had a house with painted brick. Don't do it. It may look great for a few years but eventually the elements are going to wear at it and it's going to start peeling and look awful.

Use Romabio Limewash. Limewash has been used for centuries. It will never peel or chip. You can hose it off if you don't like it. It is also beneficial for the brick. Romabio.com

Agree withporkchop ….that too bright white is what bothers me. i think your brick is beautiful, but I live in an area where brick homes are rare.

just a vote to really test Balboa Mist since it can have some violet undertones - FWIW a neighbor painted their house a color that looks griege and it goes full on lavender in the mornings light (I see it every morning when I walk my dog)

Good luck finding a contractor who knows how to apply Romabio - they have to go through training. Brick that is correctly prepped and primed and painted is NOT high maintenance just like any correctly prepped and painted surface.

Does the color specialist sell Balboa Mist? Some times that can "color" their advice.